Overseas Aid

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any evidence that the decline in overseas aid worldwide of over 20 per cent in real terms between 1992 and 1997 has now been reversed; and what pressure they are bringing to bear on members of the Development Assistance Committee to ensure this reversal.

Baroness Amos: In 1998, the latest year for which figures are available, official development assistance (ODA) rose by US$3.6 billion to almost US$52 billion, an increase on 1997 of 9.6 per cent in real terms. This resulted in the ODA/GNP ratio for all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Member countries rising from 0.22 to 0.24 per cent. Fifteen of the 21 DAC member countries reported a rise in net ODA disbursements in real terms. But we need to monitor year on year progress. DAC figures are based on calendar not financial years and this can produce distortions.
	The Government have started to reverse the decline in the UK's development assistance budget and have made clear their commitment to the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP. They have called on all donors to reverse the trend in declining ODA and challenged the donor community to increase official development finance to US$60 billion by this year. We also continue to press for better focused and more efficient assistance by both bilateral and multilateral donors. It is only by the whole international system working collaboratively and backing the leadership of governments and people in developing countries against measurable improvements in poverty reduction year on year that the aim of poverty elimination will be achieved.

Yugoslavia: UNHCR Budget forDisplaced Persons

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the 900,000 or so displaced people living in Serbia.

Baroness Amos: The UNHCR budget for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, excluding Kosovo, currently stands at $58,639,600. Of this, $51,739,600 is for Serbia and $6,900,000 is for Montenegro.
	With regard to the figure for displaced persons in Serbia and Montenegro, we understand from the UNHCR that this now stands at a total of 700,000. Of these, there are around 500,000 refugees (largely from Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina) and 200,000 internally displaced from Kosovo.

Public Sector Ombudsmen Review

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will publish the report of the review of the organisation of public sector ombudsmen in England.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I am pleased to announce that the report of the review of the organisation of public sector ombudsmen in England is published today. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and are also available from the Vote Office.
	The start of the review was announced by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office on 30 March 1999 and forms part of the Modernising Government agenda. The review, which was carried out by a team in the Cabinet Office, was wide-ranging: it covered the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Health Service Ombudsman for England and the Local Government Ombudsmen for England, and looked at the potential interaction between those ombudsmen and other independent complaints authorities such as the independent Housing Ombudsman and the Data Protection Commissioner. The review team consulted widely with those who have an interest in the ombudsmen system, including all Members, the ombudsmen themselves, central and local government, representative bodies (such as the Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) and external interest groups.
	The main recommendations in the report are that the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Health Service Ombudsman in England and the Local Government Ombudsmen in England should be merged into a collegiate structure (a new Commission); that the present requirement for complainants to put their complaints via a Member to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (the "MP filter") should be removed; and that their procedures be simplified and made more flexible.
	The Government welcome the review's focus on providing a more customer-orientated ombudsman service. It recognises that the recommendations raise a number of significant issues about the status and constitution of the ombudsmen. Accordingly, we shall now be consulting widely before reaching our final conclusions on implementing the review's recommendations.

"Henry VIII" Clauses

Lord Alexander of Weedon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether "Henry VIII" clauses have become more common over the past decade.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: No information is held centrally on the number of "Henry VIII" clauses in legislation. Collecting the information for the past decade would require a major exercise which could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost. I will write to the noble Lord with the advice on this given by the Cabinet Office and place that advice in the Library.

Business Appointments: Advisory Committee

Lord Haskel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who are the members of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: The current members are:
	The Rt. Hon. Lord Mayhew of Twysden QC (Chairman)
	Sir John Blelloch KCB (Vice-chairman)
	The Rt. Hon. Lord Shore of Stepney
	The Rt. Hon. Baroness Williams of Crosby
	The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn GCMG
	Admiral Sir Kenneth Eaton GBE KCB FEng FIEE
	Sir Denys Henderson
	Sir Bryan Nicholson
	I am pleased to say that Lord Wilson of Tillyorn has agreed to join the Committee. He had a distinguished career in the Diplomatic Service and served as Governor of Hong Kong. He has also had extensive experience of both business and academic life since his retirement.
	The Advisory Committee advises me on applications from the most senior Crown Servants to take up business appointments after leaving the Service, and it also gives advice directly to former Ministers on appointments they wish to accept after leaving office. The members of the Committee are unpaid, and I am grateful to them for the time they give to this role. I value their judgment.

Security Service Commissioner

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements have been made to appoint a commissioner under Section 4 of the Security Service Act 1989, given that Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's appointment expired on 13 December 1999.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: Lord Justice Stuart-Smith has accepted an extension of his appointment as Security Service Commissioner until 31 March 2000 to enable him to complete his annual report for 1999. He recently completed that term. I thank Lord Justice Stuart-Smith for the contribution he made during the 10 years he spent as Security Service Commissioner.
	Lord Justice Simon Brown, formerly President of the Intelligence Service Tribunal, has accepted an appointment as the Security Service Commissioner for a period of three years from 1 April 2000.

Intelligence Services Commissioner

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements have been made to appoint a commissioner under Section 8 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994, given that Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's appointment expired on 15th December 1999.

Baroness Jay of Paddington: Lord Justice Stuart-Smith has accepted an extension of his appointment as Intelligence Services Commissioner until 31 March 2000 to enable him to complete his annual report for 1999. At that time he will stand down. I thank Lord Justice Stuart-Smith for the contribution he made during his five years as Intelligence Services Commissioner.
	Lord Justice Simon Brown, formerly President of the Intelligence Service Tribunal, has accepted an appointment as the Intelligence Services Commissioner for a period of three years from 1st April 2000.

Directors' Remuneration

Lord Smith of Clifton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 25 January (H.L. Deb., cols. 1416-1419), why there has been a delay in the promised announcement by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on directors' remuneration; and when it can now be expected.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government regard directors' remuneration as an important issue. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry expects to make an announcement shortly.

Postage Stamp Themes

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will require the Post Office to publish the successful and unsuccessful suggestions for special stamp issue during 2001.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Stamp Programme is a matter for the Post Office. I understand that it does not publish a list of all subjects it considers. To do so would in many cases effectively disclose details of the people or organisations making the suggestions.
	I am informed that the working titles of the themes selected for the 2001 Special Stamps Programme are: The Future, Family Pets, Submarines, Hats, Pondlife, Buses, Weather, Puppets and Christmas.

HM Prison Parc: Self-harm Statistics

Baroness Hilton of Eggardon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why HM Prison Parc is the only prison in England and Wales not to provide the Prison Service Directorate of Health Care with statistics on recorded incidents of self-harm.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Parc Prison has experienced certain computer-related difficulties in supplying statistical information about incidents of self-harm to Prison Service headquarters. These are now being resolved. It has, however, supplied such information manually on a regular basis since November 1999 and will continue to do so.

Prison Drug Offences and Punishments

Baroness Hilton of Eggardon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many extra days' detention were imposed on prisoners failing mandatory drugs tests in 1997-98 and 1998-99; and what was the total cost of imposing these extra days.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The table shows the total number of recorded offences of unauthorised use of a controlled drug proven at adjudication and punished under Prison Rules with the award of additional days, an estimate of the number of such punishments actually served, and an estimate of the cost of those days, for each year between 1997 and 1999.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 
			 Number of recorded offences of  "unauthorised use of a  controlled drug" punished with  the award of additional days 14,470 14,722 12,764 
			 Estimate of the number of such  punishments actually served 9,764 9,617 8,472 
			 Estimate of the cost of imposing  award of additional days to the  nearest £ thousand (Annual  cost per prison place: 1997-98:  £23,940 1998-99: £25,096 and  1999-00: £25,567)(1) £8.966m £9.257m £8.208m 
		
	
	(1) Cost of each additional day awarded is calculated by multiplying the estimated number of awards of additional days served by the average number of days (14) awarded to give the total number of additional days awarded each year. This figure is then multiplied by the daily cost of a prison place in each financial year (taken from the annual cost per prison place, divided by 365 days). Annual cost per prison place for 1999-00 is provisional.